Herefordshire Viking hoard could be bought under £1m plans

Most of the estimated 300 coins believed to be in the hoard are still missing

A Viking hoard uncovered in a field could be put on display, under plans by Herefordshire Council.

The collection of coins and jewellery was found by two metal detectorists who did not declare the treasure, instead selling it to dealers.

They were jailed in 2019, with the court told most of the hoard - valued at anywhere £3-£12m - was still missing.

However, what remains is thought to be worth £776,250.

The council plans to set aside £1m to purchase and look after the hoard.

George Powell and Layton Davies uncovered about 300 coins in a field in Eye, near Leominster, after illegally visiting the land.

Layton Davies and George Powell were jailed in November 2019

The so-called Herefordshire Hoard included a 9th Century gold ring, a dragon's head bracelet, a silver ingot and a crystal rock pendant.

• Detectorists stole hoard that 'rewrites history'

The men were convicted of theft and concealing their find in November 2019, with Powell, 38, jailed for 10 years and Layton, 51, for eight-and-a-half years.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Nicholas Cartwright said they had "cheated" the public.

Two others were also jailed for their part in concealing the find.

According to a council report into the planned acquisition of the items, the two detectorists "still have not revealed the location of the missing majority of the hoard".

Once the value is finalised, the council will have three to four months to raise the money, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It is the first institution to be given the opportunity to buy any of the hoard.

"If not acquired, the hoard is potentially at risk of being lost to the public, and in particular to the residents of Herefordshire, for example, by ending up in private ownership," the council report said.

The local authority has discussed featuring it as the centrepiece of a multimillion-pound programme of improvements to Hereford, backed by government funding.

As "a national attraction", the hoard would "enhance Herefordshire's tourism offer, bringing visitors into Hereford and extend the museum's profile", the report said.

Among the hoard was a crystal pendant that dates to around 600 AD